


It Started with the Back Sacrament...

by Lyxuhr



Category: Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Genre: Dark Brotherhood - Freeform, Multi, Not sure where this story will go, Skyrim - Freeform, Tamriel, We'll see what happens - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-25
Updated: 2015-12-25
Packaged: 2018-05-09 05:34:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,154
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5527895
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lyxuhr/pseuds/Lyxuhr
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When a 17 year old Dunmer, Leaf, creates a contract with the Dark Brotherhood to assassinate her sister in Solstheim, things take an unexpected turn.</p>
            </blockquote>





	It Started with the Back Sacrament...

"Sweet mother, sweet mother, send your child unto me, for the sins of the unworthy shall be baptized in blood and fear." I had been chanting the familiar phrase for almost a week. I had it all set up, the candles, the human skeleton, the flesh and heart, the nightshade, everything. It was sickening, but no assassin had appeared in the abandoned shack outside of Windhelm. Frankly, I was about to give up, it was getting quite cold. 

Seeing the first of stars become visible, I decided to snuff the candles and settle in for the night. I wanted to start a small fire to be warm, but I didn't want anyone in the city to notice the smoke. I draped a large cloth over the effigy, and went to a different room to lay out my bedroll. There was no way that I was going to sleep in the same room as a dead body. 

Curling up inside my bedroll, I reached to my neck and slipped my amulet off of my head. The amulet was circular, with an engraving of a leaf in the center. It was the only thing I had left of my family, as it used to be my father's amulet before my twin sister went on an insane killing spree in our home, killing my parents. I hid in my wardrobe until my sister ran out of the house and started killing other people on the streets of Markarth. 

We were fifteen at the time, and two years later, a bounty was still on my head throughout Skyrim for murdering innocents. But it wasn't me, it was my twin sister, and she was mistaken for me. 

My sister had fled to Solstheim, and left behind a trail of misery. She was the cause of the suffering I had gone through for the past 2 years. I couldn't enter any cities without trying to be killed by guards, and I had to buy from the Khajiit merchants which I only came across once every few months, and I barely had enough money to buy an apple or two, let alone some basic camping supplies. If it weren't for the dagger that I stole off a fallen guard's body, I would easily be dead by now. 

When I left the city after my twin's killing spree, I decided that, courtesy of the amulet, I would go by the name of Leaf. It was hard to go by my real name, Elysant, when it sounded too much like my sister's name, Elysandra. Every time I thought of her, I either exploded with rage, or broke down crying. 

This time, it was the latter. 

Tears streaming down my face, I laid on my side in my bedroll. I looked up to see the stars through the broken roof, but I didn't see any. It was pitch black. It took me a moment to realize that I was looking at a silhouette of someone looking down at me. 

I immediately backed out of my bedroll and raised my dagger in front of me. I backed farther away and stumbled to my feet, my eyes never leaving the unknown person. Before I could say anything, the person spoke. 

"My, my, who do we have here? Oh, just a little Dunmer, trying to run away. But see little girl, you can't run from an assassin. I'm afraid that it doesn't work that way." A woman's calm voice threatened. The silhouette advanced on me, and I could see the glint of a dagger in the darkness. 

"Wait! Did you come for the Black Sacrament? Please don't kill me, I just wanted to arrange a contract with you!" I rushed. The silhouette hesitated, then sheathed her dagger. 

"Alright. But if we're going to talk business, we are going to need some light." 

"Allow me." I grabbed a torch from my pack, and did one of the only things that required any skill. I summoned a ball of flame in my hand, and used it to light the torch. Releasing the spell, I looked up to see the assassin for the first time. She wore black and red armor, from head to toe, a mask covering her entire face except her eyes, and a single strand of blonde hair. I could tell by the shape of her head that she was a Nord. She raised her eyebrows at my flame-summoning. 

"Ah. So just your basic mage, trying to show off. Such arrogance, you Dunmers have." 

I just raised my eyebrows back at her. "I thought we were here to discuss a contract." 

"Yes we were, but I had to get a couple of sarcastic comments in. Helps me focus." 

Ignoring the comment, I continued. "I can offer you five thousand septims for this contract. Will that be enough?" 

"Well assuming by the looks of you, that's all you got, so it'll have to do, won't it?" She smirked. "Now who are we killing? Tell me the juicy details." 

"Well last I heard, she was in Solstheim, but-" I was cut off. 

"Sostheim! We only do assassinations in Skyrim! It would cost too much money to take a boat to Solstheim." 

"You're an assassin, I'm sure you can find a way to sneak on the boat." 

She rolled her eyes. "Okay, I guess you have a point. Now who am I killing? I've already asked." 

"You are killing my sister, Elysandra." 

"Hmm. Elysandra. The name sounds familiar. Oh! Isn't her sister the one..." She paused. "You're the one that killed half of Markarth and got away with it! I should recruit you, you'd make a good assassin." 

"No. Elysandra was the one that went on a killing spree. She killed my parents. People thought that it was me, and now I want her dead." 

The assassin smiled. "That's the spirit. Now if you'll just hand over the money here, I'll be on my way and we'll find you when the deed is done. Any last thoughts?" 

I hesitated, thinking. "Before you kill her, can you let her have some last words? I want to know what she says." The assassin nodded, and I reluctantly handed over a pouch of coins. I had been saving for this since my sister fled. 

"I'll be leaving then, it seems." She turned to leave, but paused by the doorway. "By the way, the name is Astrid, if you ever need to know." She continued to walk out of the door, and into the night. After a moment, I heard a clattering of horse hooves against the road, getting quieter by the second. 

Knowing that I wouldn't need the human remains any longer, I wrapped them in the cloth that I used to cover them previously, and threw them out into the river. After watching them float away, I walked back to the shack. I curled up in my bedroll, and quickly fell asleep.


End file.
